Heated mold form



Patented Feb. 16, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEATED MGLD FORM JohnA. Miller, ne Kalb, m., assignor to 'rire Rudolph Wurlitzer Company,Cincinnati, Ohio,

a corporation Application August 3l, T1940, Serial No. 354,972

(Si. 14d-256) l. Claims.

Having thus formed the Wooden caul, a series of interconnected steampipes l are seated along the recesses I2 and are preferably blocked upwith any suitable blocking pieces'indicated at It so that said pipes maybe temporarily supported substantially in spaced relation. A mass ofmolten metal I6 is then poured over the pipes so block of wood tosubstantially the shape desired, v

place a series of steam pipes therein, and provide a male form from ablock of wood having the prescribed convex curvature. The Wooden maleform is then placed over the female caul and the space surrounding thesteam pipes and between their surfaces is then lled with molten'metal,such as babbitt. Themolten metal thus surrounds the steam pipes andprovides a forming surface for the female form of the prescribedcurvature. The metal, being conductive of heat, readily transmits theheat from the steam pipes to the plywood for highly heating the same asit.is.pressed against the metal surface by the same wooden male formused in shaping such surface.

Other objects and features of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawing and the following description and claims.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the mold form with portions broken away to showthe metal forming surface in one portion thereof and the heating pipesbefore the metal is applied, in another portion. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the female form. Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectionthrough the male and female forms preparatory to Introducing moltenmetal therein. Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3 through said formsto show them in plywood forming position.V Fig. 5 is a central verticalsection showing a modification of thev female form.

In the drawing there is shown a wooden female caul Il which is shapedfrom a solid or built-up block of wood. Said caul is reinforced by sideand bottom` plates I I. The upper surface thereof is routed out toprovide a series of spaced recesses I2 with intermittent projections I3extending that the caul is practically lled therewith, and wherein itwill flow into the recesses i2 and around said pipes. .Such metal maypreferably be .babbitt or any similar metal which may be Aintroduced ina molten state atv sufficiently low temperature to avoid burning,as-distinguished from perhaps merely charring, the wood caul into whichit is introduced.

A wooden male form I1 having a convex curved surface I8 conforming tothe prescribed curvature is placed over the molten metal so that saidmetal is pressed 'firmly about the steam pipes and excess metal isforced from between the caul and male form. The molten metal is then a1-llowed to set and harden, conforming to the curvature of the male form,lafter which it is removed, with the result that the formed metal I6 hasbeen givenY the proper curvature and is in contact with and surroundsthe steam pipes so as to readily conduct heat therefrom to such curvedsurface.

In the above manner ,a female form capable of applying heat is producedin a simple and economical manner ready for use in shaping the plywoodveneer. Thereupon a panel of plywood veneer I9 is placed on the metalsurface of the female form,steam is introduced into the pipes I4 and themale form I1 is placed thereover. Pressure is thereupon applied to pressand form the plywood through the medium of pressing plates 20 which mayhydraulically or otherwise exert the desired pressure in the usual andvwell known manner.

As will be noted in Fig. 1, the steam pipes are connected inseries ateach of their ends by elbows 2I, one of the pipes having a steam intakeopening 22 and another a steam return or ex` haust opening 23.

In Fig. 5 there is illustrated a modied and I .simplified form of femalecaul III which is provided with a bed having a curved surface I I2 inwhich a series of steam pipes I Il are laid with ytheir endsinterconnecting through the elbows I2 I The steam pipes being thus laidin the caul,

the molten metal IIS is poured thereover and formed-in the manner abovedescribed to provide the desired female form.

Whereas the invention has been herein illustrated and described asapplied to a form having the metal and steam pipes imbedded in thefemale member, it is obvious that it is equally applicable to .a formwherein the metal and steam pipes are imbedded in and comprise the malemember-or a mere reversal of the structure as herein shown anddescribed.

The invention claimed is:

1. A form for shaping a glue treated plywood veneer panel under heat andpressure, comprising a.A wooden caul, a cast metal forming surfacemolded therein for receiving said panel, a plurality of heating membersimbedded in said metal, and a conforming member adapted to press andconform said panel to said metal forming surface.

2. A form for shaping a glue treated plywood veneer panel under heat andpressure, comprising a wooden caul, a cast metal forming surface moldedtherein for receiving said panel, a series of steam heating pipesimbedded in said metal, and a conforming member adapted to press andconform said panel to said metal forming surface.

3. A form for shaping a glue treated plywood veneer panel under heat andpressure, comprising a wooden block provided with a concave recessedportion conforming generally to the shape desired, a series of steamheating pipes mounted Within said recessed portion, a cast metal formingsurface' imbedded therein and surrounding said pipes, said metal formingsurface being of the curvature desired for shaping, and a Wooden malemember having a convex surface to mate with the metal surface forpressing and conforming said panel thereto.

4. A form for shaping a glue treated plywood veneer panel under heat andpressure, comprising a wooden block, a series of recesses formed thereinseparated by outwardly extending walls conforming in general to theshape vof panel desired, sections of steam pipe mounted in each recessand separated by said walls, said sections being connected to provide acontinuous steam passageway therethrough, a heat transmitting medium inthe form of cast metal surrounding said pipe sections and separatingwalls to present a forming surface of the desired curvature, and aconforming wooden member having a complementary curved surface adaptedIto press and conform said panel to said metal' forming surface.

' JOHN A. MILLER.

